


Fine Dining

by seraphina_snape



Category: Riptide (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-07-01
Updated: 2011-07-01
Packaged: 2017-10-20 22:20:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,588
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/217702
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seraphina_snape/pseuds/seraphina_snape
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nick does naughty things to Cody. In public.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fine Dining

**Author's Note:**

> For the prompt: _Nick/Cody, sub!Cody_ at our very first Riptide Kink Meme.
> 
> This piece of fiction was written over two years ago, but never published before. Thanks to my beta Tinx_r for helping me change the ending and turning this into a much better story than it used to be.

The place was nice. The kind of nice where they brought you a bottle of really old French wine for inspection before pouring your glasses and where artfully arranged food that tasted like nothing but cost about the same as a small Japanese car arrived on too large, pre-heated plates decorated with specks of mint and chocolate.

Nick and Cody exchanged a glance, then turned to Murray.

"Murray, are you sure this is the place?" Cody asked, self-consciously smoothing down his blue-and-white striped tie.

Murray looked at him like he didn't understand the question, then checked the discreet sign above the door. chez raphaël it said in simple black letters. Nick supposed that the lowercase letters and the dots above the E were enough to make it more exotic than the competition.

"It's the right place, Cody. chez raphaël," Murray read. "That's the place Veronica recommended."

Cody mumbled something vaguely affirmative, but his eyes kept their skeptical look. Nick stopped the argument in the making by pulling the door open – and really, a place like this without a doorman? All style and no substance, Nick thought – and ushering Cody and Murray inside.

Murray was impressed, if the half-open mouth and the whispered "wow" was anything to go by. Cody had dropped his hands to his sides and straightened up a little, raising his chin when the maître d' gave them a less than welcoming look. With only a few looks and gestures, Cody had the man convinced that they were exactly the kind of people this restaurant catered to and that they would take their money elsewhere if they had to.

Nick imagined that this controlled, in charge, suave, dandified Cody was the Cody his parents had wanted. Instead they had gotten a half-queer detective who lived on a boat and spent lazy days on the beach with his lover when they weren't chasing criminals.

Murray stammered out his name for the reservation, and the maître d' consulted his books. When he looked up, he had a surprisingly genuine smile on his face. "This way, please, sirs," he said, leading them through a maze of cozy round tables.

Their table was in the far corner, set for three, and Nick and Cody chose the seats that were facing the room, leaving Murray to sit down on the other side, facing Nick and Cody. He twisted around in his seat as soon as the maître d' had left with their orders for drinks. When he turned back, he beamed at Nick and Cody.

"Isn't this place great, guys? Did you see the chandeliers? Wow," Murray said. "Veronica said the crème brûlée is amazing. I can't wait for the dessert."

Nick cast a quick glance around. It was a great place for some people, maybe, but he felt a little like someone had put a spotlight on their table and everyone was just waiting for him to say or do the wrong thing. The background music – classical, of course – was very subtle, playing just loudly enough to be heard over the quiet conversations of the patrons. He exchanged a glance with Cody, who looked even less comfortable than Nick felt in these surroundings.

Cody put his elbows on the table and stapled his fingers. "You know that this is one of the most expensive restaurants in town, don't you, Murray?"

"I'm not even sure they list the prices on the menu," Nick threw in. "It's definitely out of my league, so if you expect me to pay, we'd better go now while we only have those twenty dollar beers on our tab. Otherwise my wallet won't survive the night."

"I know that this place is kind of ritzy, guys," Murray said, narrowing his eyes. "I wanted to treat you to something nice. You've been great friends to me and I don't know what I'd do without you. And I got a royalty check in the mail last week; we can afford this right now, so stop worrying. Let's enjoy tonight."

Cody glanced at Nick – looks like we aren't getting out of this one, buddy, Nick thought – smiled and slapped Murray's back. "Well, I guess I can survive the fancy food just this one time."

Nick grinned at the irony – out of the three of them, Cody was the most familiar with fancy food – and accepted the menu a young waiter handed him. The waiter was dressed in black from head to toe and Nick fought down the urge to ask if they were free to wear underwear in any color or if that was included in the uniform as well.

The menu was – just like the rest of the place – very nice. Bound in leather, soft to the touch, high quality paper in thin sheets of plastic, handwritten from the looks of it. Nice, really, Nick thought, if you speak French. Which I don't. He met Cody's eyes over the top of their menus, eyebrows raised.

"Do they have steak?" Nick asked. "Anything that I can eat without having to use all of these forks?" he added, gesturing to the assortment of cutlery in front of him. Nick was sure he could have set the table twice just with what they had put down at his place.

Cody cracked a smile and nodded. "They have steak. With potatoes and butter."

Across the table, Murray put down his menu and looked at them. "I don't speak French. I've never been good with foreign languages, and I don't speak French. How am I supposed to order?"

Murray looked ready to grab the nearest waiter and demand a translated menu – which Nick was sure they had somewhere and would pass out with a superior sneer at their less worldly guests – but Cody put a hand on his arm.

"Don't worry, Murray. I can speak French."

"You can?" Murray's face brightened. "How did you learn?"

"Oh, at school," Cody answered, turning back to the menu. "You know, I'm surprised I haven't forgotten most of it by now."

Nick raised his eyebrows at Cody. He knew perfectly well that Cody's parents had a summer home in the south of France, somewhere near a vineyard, and that Cody had spent pretty much every summer there until he went to college. But if Cody didn't want to tell Murray, then it wasn't any of Nick's business. There were things Cody knew about him that he wouldn't want anybody else to know; things he would lie about if he had to.

"Nick?"

"Sorry, yeah?" He had been so lost in his thoughts that he hadn't noticed the waiter's return.

"Is it okay if I order for you?" Cody asked, winking.

"Sure, go ahead," he said casually, watching as Cody ordered for all three of them in rapid French. Nick had never actually heard Cody speak French, other than the odd word or phrase; hearing it now in full sentences was oddly erotic.

Nick licked his lips, studying Cody's face as he handed the waiter their menus and started chatting with Murray. Nick had originally planned to stay in and, after making sure that Murray was busy with his circuit boards, tie Cody to the bed until he was begging for the privilege to come.

Nick's gaze turned speculative as he watched Cody. Maybe he could have just as much fun with Cody right here. He might not be able make Cody strip and then tie him to the chair with heavy ropes in the middle of this high-end restaurant, but he'd learned long ago that you didn't necessarily need ropes to tie someone down. You didn’t even need a gag to keep them silent.

Cody shot him a nervous glance and Nick smirked. He wasn't usually taciturn with his friends, least of all Cody, but he had been lost in his thoughts and hadn't said more than a handful of sentences since Cody had ordered for them. Nick turned his gaze away from his friends, letting his eyes wander over the other patrons. Cody would figure it out soon enough.

The waiter brought their appetizers and Cody ordered another round of drinks, Nick opting for water under the guise of offering to drive them all back to the Riptide. Cody wasn't fooled; the look in his eyes clearly said that he knew something was up, but he handed Nick the keys to the Jimmy without protest when he asked.

The waiter brought their soup with the second round of drinks, and Nick and Cody shared a smile when Murray tucked his tie into his shirt to keep it from dipping into the soup bowl.

The soup was delicious and Nick was pleasantly surprised. He had been to a handful of fancy restaurants, usually to impress a girl, but he had never thought the prices were justified. But if the entrée was as good as the soup, he might have to rethink his opinion.

Nick ate faster than Murray or Cody, wanting to finish his soup before Cody. He pushed his bowl away when Cody's was still a third full. Casting a quick look around, he noticed the maître d' glancing at their table from time to time – naturally, since it was his job to keep an eye on the patrons and make sure the waiters were there in a flash when there was a problem. But the maître d' wouldn't be a problem; he had a full restaurant to observe and they were tucked away in the corner. The tablecloth was floor-length and from a heavy fabric, shielding their legs from view.

Nick was wearing the only pair of dress shoes he owned and that was a problem, albeit a minor one. He dropped his spoon on the floor and quickly undid his shoelace when he bent down to retrieve it, surreptitiously moving his chair for a better angle. A waiter appeared and exchanged the spoon for a clean one, despite the fact that Nick had already finished his soup and the floors here were probably cleaner than the bathroom on the Riptide.

As soon as the waiter had disappeared again, Nick freed his foot from the shoe and bumped his foot into Cody's leg. Cody paused with the spoon halfway towards his mouth and looked at Nick. Nick gave him a bland smile and nudged Cody's leg again, trying to get him to move it a little bit to the side.

Cody glared at him, but he moved his leg. Now Nick could rest his foot on the seat between Cody's legs. Nick's smile widened and changed into something more genuine at the feeling of Cody's body heat seeping into his sock-clad foot.

Nick could see Cody's hand tremble a little when he raised the spoon to his mouth again and his whole body itched with the urge to touch Cody and drive him to the edges of pleasure. But instead of giving in, Nick kept his foot still and watched Cody relax slightly when Nick didn't try to stimulate him.

He hid his grin by taking a big gulp of his water. It was always sweeter when Cody didn't expect it.

Cody had ordered steak for Nick, no surprise there, and Nick made a few appreciative noises after the first bite. The steak was nice and juicy, medium rare and seasoned just right.

"Oh, wow, this is really good," Murray said, looking at his seafood platter. "Do you guys want to try some?"

Nick cast a dubious glance at the assortment of fish and other seafood, then shook his head. He might live on a boat, but that didn't mean he was okay with eating squid.

"Thanks, Murray, but fish and veal don't really go together," Cody said, gesturing to his own plate.

They ate in silence for a few minutes, Nick watching Cody again out of the corner of his eye. Nick timed it so that his foot nudged Cody's crotch just as Cody took a bite off his fork. Cody jumped and nearly spat the food across the table, covering his action with a faked coughing fit. Murray shot him a concerned glance, but Cody waved him off.

Nick met Cody's eyes and let his foot rub over Cody's thigh back up to his groin. He took another bite of his steak and chewed to hide his smile when Cody's cock responded to the stimulation and grew hard.

Cody looked like he was trying to keep his expression even and inconspicuous, but soon he could no longer hide his arousal. He stared hungrily at Nick.

"Your food's getting cold, Cody," Nick said, pointing his fork at Cody's plate.

Cody snapped his head around and lowered his gaze to his plate. He started eating again, ignoring Murray's questioning look. Then Nick felt Cody's thighs spread a little further, just a fraction of an inch, but it was enough. That was as good as spoken permission, never mind the fact that Cody and Nick had an agreement about these things that meant he didn't need Cody's express permission to touch him, anywhere and anytime, even in public.

It was a stroke of luck – or not luck, Nick conceded; Murray was sometimes more perceptive than they gave him credit for – when Murray excused himself and headed for the restroom.

Cody turned to Nick immediately, his hand gripping the fork tightly. "What are you doing, Nick?"

"Touching you," Nick replied, calmly cutting another piece off his steak. "I figured you'd like it." He pressed his toes into the bulge in Cody's pants. "Certainly seems like it to me."

"I--" Cody broke off, looked around and leaned towards Nick. "Like it? Fuck, Nick, you're killing me here."

"Like I said, I figured you'd like it," Nick repeated.

Cody took a deep breath. "I do, Nick, but this place is full of people. How far are you going to take this, with Murray at our table?"

Nick shrugged. "I’ll take it as far as I want to, babe, you know that. And you won't do a thing to stop me."

Cody looked like he wanted to protest, set some new base rules just for this night, but Nick knew he wouldn't. He never did.

"Relax, no one can see. Murray might know, but he won’t see either." Leaning towards Cody, Nick murmured, "I really want to kiss you right now, Cody." He moved his foot along the length of Cody's erection and Cody froze, breathing shallowly. "I want to kiss you, want to feel your dry lips against mine and lick them until they're nice and wet. Will you lick your lips for me, Cody? Like this?"

Cody's eyes flickered towards Nick's mouth and Nick let his tongue dart out and ran it along his lips.

"Do it, Cody."

Cody licked his lips until they glistened in the soft light of the restaurant. Nick ran his foot along Cody's cock again.

"Good boy," he murmured. "I might let you come more than once today."

Cody swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing wildly.

"And when your lips are nice and wet, Cody, know what I'd do then?" Nick said, picking up his earlier thread of conversation. "I'd grab your ass if we were standing, or maybe your hair – I like your hair – and then I'd put my wet lips over your wet lips and kiss you, tongue thrusting in and out, licking into your mouth. You'd love it and make that noise, a little impatient, a lot aroused and just plain desperate for more. I love that sound," Nick said, smirking when Cody bit his lip to keep silent.

Across the room he saw Murray emerge from the restroom. Nick retracted his foot and leaned even closer to Cody, hoping that no one would notice that his hand had disappeared underneath the tablecloth. He let it rest on Cody's thigh for a fraction of a second, then moved it up to squeeze Cody's balls. He could feel the outline of Cody's erection through the thin fabric of his slacks and brushed against it as he withdrew his hand.

"When we get home, I'll tie you to the bed and fuck you until you’re desperate and begging me to let you come," Nick whispered, just as Murray got back to the table.

"Hey, are you okay, Cody? You look a little flushed."

"I'm fine, Murray," Cody said, his voice raspy. He took a long drink from his beer and turned back to his veal.

Nick rewarded him for his good behavior by replacing his foot between Cody's thighs. He kept a constant low pressure through the rest of the main course and well into dessert. Murray had opted for crème brûlée, Cody for tiramisu, and Nick for chocolate cake.

Cody's arousal was more than obvious by now; his eyes were losing focus, the pupils dilated, and his breath was coming in short, flat bursts. He had a white-knuckled grip on the edge of the table. His right hand was shaking hard enough that he nearly dropped his fork twice.

Murray chatted on as if nothing was going on; either he really was that oblivious or he pretended to be. Nick suspected the latter. Murray had been living with them on the Riptide for almost a year, a long time to stay oblivious to something happening right under his nose in such close quarters. Although he and Cody were careful to keep any displays of affection that ran deeper than mere friendship behind closed doors unless they could be reasonably sure that no one was around.

Cody squirmed in his seat, pushing his groin against Nick's foot and raising his eyes to Nick in a silent plea. It seemed that Cody was about ready to pop. Nick smiled, giving Cody the smallest of nods, and reached out, grabbing Cody's chin. He swiped his thumb over Cody's lower lip, wiping away a trace of tiramisu. It wasn't a subtle gesture, definitely not between two men, but he counted on the self-involvement of rich people to let it go unnoticed.

A quick look at the maître d' confirmed that his attention was elsewhere, so Nick let go of Cody's face, brought his thumb to his own lips and sucked it into his mouth. At the same time, he increased the pressure and speed of his foot, massaging Cody's groin. A flush spread across Cody’s skin. His eyes locked on Nick's, Cody gasped as he came in his pants and set his fork down with a heavy clunk of cutlery against porcelain.

Nick popped his thumb out of his mouth and grinned. "You had something on your lip," he said calmly, watching Cody try to maintain an air of composure.

On the other side of the table, Murray raised his eyebrows. "Gee, Nick! Even _I_ can’t pretend I didn’t notice this time," he said, frowning at him when Nick looked at Murray.

Nick grimaced. He'd always suspected Murray had a good idea of what was going on, but he hadn't expected such a blatant acknowledgement. "I'm sorry I made you uncomfortable, Murray," Nick apologized. “You were trying to do something nice for us. I shouldn’t have--"

"No, it's fine--I mean, I don't mind, I just--it’s a little embarrassing," Murray finally said, a faint blush staining his cheeks.

Nick placed both of his forearms on the table and folded his hands. "Sorry, Murray. We'll keep it out of your face in the future."

Murray met Nick's eyes squarely across the table. "You don't have to keep anything out of my face, Nick, certainly not on the Riptide. It was your home before it was mine, and it's none of my business what you do there."

"You really mean that?" Cody asked. He was still a little flushed, but his voice sounded normal enough.

Murray nodded. "I'm not going to tell you how to behave in your own home, Cody. But tonight - well, I’d appreciate some warning next time! That’s all." He looked at Nick.

"I am sorry, Murray. I got carried away, but I won’t let it happen again."

Murray nodded. "All right, Nick."

They sat in silence while they finished their desserts.

"Cody, you should head to the bathroom before we leave," Nick said.

Cody was still trying to figure out the logistics of crossing the room with a wet patch on his white slacks when Nick casually moved his elbow and sent his half-full glass of water over the edge of the table and straight into Cody's lap.

Cody yelped when the cold water hit him and two waiters sprang to attention at once. One picked up the glass and started mopping the spilt water up off the table and the other handed Cody a handful of napkins and pointed out the way to the men's room.

Murray asked one of the waiters to bring them the check. When the waiters had gone, Nick spoke again.

"I’m really sorry, man."

Murray grinned, shooting a glance over his shoulder as if to be sure they were alone, then leaned closer to Nick. "If you want the honest truth, I thought it was hot." He sat back, still grinning. "But I meant what I said: I'd prefer it if you warned me next time."

Nick swallowed hard, staring at Murray. "Uh - sure." He stopped, momentarily lost for words.

Murray was not. "I’m really glad you and Cody found each other," he said. "I’m happy for you."

"Thanks, Murray." Nick smiled at Murray. "You're a real friend."

Murray ducked his head and grinned back at him.

-end-


End file.
